Let Us Have Grace

Jack Davis

 “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” Heb. 12:28-29.

Is not Godly fear and Godly fire compatible, by laying faith’s claim to God’s grace? In the second half of this chapter Vs. 18-29, we find such great contrast of conditions in believer’s approach and relations to God. The God of all grace has called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ - I Peter 5:10.

Oh, how marvelously blessed we are today in this age of grace. When we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we became a part of the heavenly segment of an unshakable kingdom. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our heart’s treasures are above. We are urged now to appropriate by grace the high glories of said kingdom, on a course of faith. It is our privilege to receive and honor now the coming universal King of all kings to the throne of our hearts. 

Our worship today is only acceptable (well-pleasing) as we appropriate His grace. We do well also to allow Him who is the same yesterday, today and for ever, to establish our hearts therewith making us steadfast, unmovable - Heb. 13:8-9.

In our service of worship we are urged to approach our Father’s throne with confidence. Heb. 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

But let us fear ever becoming presumptuous. Be fully aware that He is able to see any and all the dross. He is willing to apply the heat to burn it out.

With the statement of verse twenty-nine we are so very glad that we may worship Him as our God. Heb. 11:16, 

…God is not ashamed to be called their God…”.

 BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW

 Rev. 21:1,2 

Anita Clark – Pastor

Grace Chapel, Carbondale, Kansas     

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17).

This is  where we began as a new believer in Christ.  Notice that the above scripture uses the phrase, “...in Christ...”  How do we become “in Christ,” and what does it mean to be “in Christ.” 

Here is the answer.  When we accept Jesus to be our Savior and ask Him to rule in our hearts, He accepts us into His family.  We become children of God.  We are recognized as a member of the body of Jesus Christ.  Our faith in Jesus, accepting His salvation which He accomplished on the cruel cross, paid for our sin.

The new life of Christ is placed within us, and from that new life comes attributes of the Heavenly Father.  These things are seen in our lives as new things.  II Peter 1:4 tells us, “Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

This divine life of Christ within us produces new thoughts, new motives and new actions.  The characteristics that Jesus manifest, such as: love, mercy, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, patience, longsuffering and temperance, now are manifest in our lives as we yield to the Lord Who dwells in us.

Since we have become a New Creation in Christ, we can look forward to many new things.  For example, the life as yielded to God is full of joy and peace.  The weight and guilt of sin is lifted.  Our future is bright, whereas before it was dismal and full of fear and judgment.

Romans 8:21-23 tells us, “...the creature itself shall be delivered  from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God...we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption (placing as sons literally in God’s presence) to wit the redemption of our body.” 

 This is the promise - we will have new bodies one of these days.  No more pain, death, sorrow, or crying as we enter into that eternal state with Christ our Lord.  I John 3:2 says, “...but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”

Phil. 3:21 guarantees this, “Who [Christ]  shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body...”  What does it mean to be glorified?  We think about what kind of body Jesus had after His resurrection.  He was incorruptible, He was eternal, He could go through walls, He could eat, but did not need to, and He appeared here and there, revealing Himself as He willed.  This shows us what it means to be glorified.

We are expecting a new heaven and earth as 2 Peter 3:12-13 says. And John saw in Rev. 21:1,2, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven prepared as a bride for her husband.”  This is our destination.  Because we are new creatures in Christ, we are destined for a new home for eternity.  How wondrous it will be!  Prepare now to live on high with God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit forever.

 Listen And Learn

“A wise man will hear, and will increase  learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” Proverbs 1:5

Scripture speaks to us about the need to listen more and speak less. Listening is the only way to gain understanding and wisdom. In particular, the Bible is speaking about listening to God’s Word as He speaks to us.

This principle applies in all aspects of our lives. In school, those that were willing to listen more gained more understanding. In marriage, those that are willing to listen more will gain more understanding of their spouse. In business, those that are willing to listen will gain more understanding.

This is not an easy task for most of us, because we tend to prefer to talk, especially if we think we know something about the subject being discussed. However, we tend to lose out on the wisdom and understanding that can be gained by listening to others.

Spiritually, it is even more important that we be willing to listen and gain understanding. Not just listen to some person, even though God does give us teachers and Pastors to teach us His Word, but listen to God’s Word. Measure everything we hear from others against what we read in the Bible.

We need to have an ear to hear the Holy Spirit. He is the one God has provided to teach us as we study our Bible. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:13-14.

These verses give us some understanding of how we know when we are hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. He will glorify Jesus. When we hear someone preaching something that does not glorify Jesus, then we need to move away from that. We really do need to have a desire to hear the Holy Spirit. If we are studying the Bible just for some knowledge, we are missing the point. We are not just learning for the sake of learning, we are learning about our beloved Lord.

Each one of us must hear God’s Word personally. This involves getting into the Bible and studying to know what it says. As I notice the great amount of “teaching” out on the internet, in social media, on Youtube and other places, it is clear that there is so much error being taught, that we simply cannot approach that without knowing what the Bible says already. 

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15. The Greek word translated study here speaks of a diligence to know the Word of Truth. The approval that matters is God, not ourself or others.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19. Today everyone gets to speak their opinion because of social media. There is a lot of speaking, and very little listening. James reminds us that we should listen much more than we speak. 

On social media, people can say anything they want about anything, whether or not it is true, and there will be some that will give them positive feedback which will increase the nonsense. The way to know error is not to study error, it is to know truth and compare everything to that.

When working with audio, we use filters. A filter can be used to cut out certain frequencies or to allow only certain frequencies to pass. Filters can be used to make audio clearer and more understandable.

Christians need a filter every time they approach the world. Everything we take in from the world should be understood through the filter of God’s Word. It allows us to understand clearly what we are hearing or seeing.

It is extremely important that we approach our study of God’s Word without preconceived notions that we have created for ourselves or heard from others. It is the way of human nature to want to make the Bible agree with us, when it must be the other way. We must be willing to agree with the Bible and be willing to hear what God wants to speak to our life when we study.

The more I study, the more I am realizing that God has something He wants to speak to each of us. God has always desired to have close communion with each one of us, and He is doing that through His Word. Our interest in studying God’s Word is in direct proportion to our desire to know our Lord better.

We say we want to be in the bride of Jesus, but the truth is that His bride will know Him intimately, and that will necessitate real, earnest, study while listening to the Holy Spirit teach us. “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellers.” Psalms 119:24. “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.” Psalms 119:162.

Is God’s Word your delight? Are you listening? Are you learning? I’m absolutely convinced the time is short for us, and we must be diligent in our relationship with our Lord. 

Gordon Crook

 Prophecy

Earlene Davis

The Miraculous Deliverance – Daniel 12

V. 1 - Begins with “And at that time,” the time of the end (11:40) when the Antichrist will come on the scene and vent his fury on Israel. At that crisis time of unparallel trouble such as never experienced before (greater then the holocaust) they shall be given supernatural help. God will fight for His people when they are at their wit’s end. Michael, the great warrior angel for Israel will stand up for their help. It will be a real turning point (after centuries of defeat and misfortune), a complete miraculous overthrow of all Israel’s enemies, never again to be trodden down). It will be the greatest battle ever fought. The clock will strike the hour of their resurrection. The dry bones will begin to shake and there will be a great awakening (Ezek. 37:1-14). Israel will arise from the ashes and put on her garments of Salvation and praise and sing with joy as she has never sang before. 

Notice, not all the natural lineage of Abraham, living and dead or good or bad shall be saved. The deliverance and resurrection is for those that believe, “every one that shall be found written in the book (V.1c). A nation will be new born, the people contrite and humbled, a new creation, a holy seed, a spiritual people. 

In Rev. 12:7-9 we read of a war in the heavenlies, not where God’s throne is but somewhere in the vast expanse above the earth. Amos 9:6 tells us there are spheres of vast extent, stories in the heavens. Satan and his forces (the wicked spirits) have ruled over some of that. This war in heaven precedes the one on earth. When Satan is cast down, his time is short. He stirs up the nations in a combined struggle to exterminate the Jews. For through them Christ shall reign over the earth. He is the King of the Jews and he shall reign when Satan has been bound in hell a thousand years. Satan fights hard with all his power, so there is trouble like there has never been before (Jer. 30:7). It is a travail time for Israel, Her birth pains from which she shall come forth a nation new born (Isa. 66:8). She shall be purged, a glorious kingdom of priests to reign and bring blessing to the whole world.

V. 2 - this statement embraces the millennium. Many of Israel awaken to everlasting life and will precede the many awaken to shame and contempt by a thousand years. Compare Jn. 5:28-29 and Rev. 20:6-7,11-15. But there will be a resurrection. The faithful dead shall come forth out of their graves and participate in the glorious kingdom of Christ. They shall not be part of the earthly population, for they will have glorified bodies and may reign over the earth (Mt. 19:28 & 8:11). The earthly people will not enjoy their glorified bodies until the end of the millennium. We see ranks in the resurrection of Israel, for some worthies of faith of the Old Testament were raised up when Christ arose (Mt. 27:51-52), obtaining a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35). The second rank will arise when Christ will appear and call them out of their graves, but the restored nation will not enjoy their glorified bodies until the end of the 1,000 year reign. Isa. 65:20 says the rebellious will be cut off at 100 years in the millennium, for there will be no toleration of wickedness ( Isa. 65:20).

V. 3 - There will be some “wise ones” spiritual teachers that will exhort the believing remnant. They shall shine in that darkness, adorning the nation.

V. 4 - Daniel’s prophecy was sealed, for the nation did not understand the prophecy, the vail was upon their heart, but in their hour of need, they shall understand. They shall search the writing of Daniel, “knowledge shall be increased” and understand that the end is at hand.

Vs. 5-8 - Two other persons appear beside the Glorious Man which has been with Daniel since the beginning of the vision. The Glorious Personage appears above the water, the other two are standing on the bank of the river, one on the right, the other on the left. One calls to the Man upon the waters, “How long unto the end of these wonders?” The Man lifts up His hands and swears by Him that liveth forever that 3 1/2 year shall be the time in which these closing wonders shall be consummated, agreeing with Ch. 7:25 and 9:27. It refers to the time when the Antichrist shall have absolute power in his hands and shall devastate the Jews. God will allow it for Israel chastening. When His purpose is accomplished He will suddenly put an end to the false despot and his kingdom.

The Jews for that determined time will be utterly helpless and shut up to the mercy of God. They will learn the hopelessness of trusting the flesh, not only their own, but all flesh. They will call upon the Lord with their whole heart. The Lord will preserve a third part of that nation and plant them as a seed in the renewed earth when He is King. They will humble themselves in repentance and he will look on them in grace (Isa. 64:1; 66:2; Mt. 23:39; Isa. 25:9).

Vs. 9-10 - Daniel saw and heard the vision, but did not understand it. But the people of the end will open his prophecy and understand. Daniel is assured that he is a prophet and all declared to him shall be fulfilled at the time of the end.

V. 10 – Many Jews shall suffer, their faith tried in the furnace of affliction. They shall come forth in victory, purified. The fiery trial which will melt the wise and prudent will only harden the heart of the foolish.

V. 11 – another measurement as to end time events, 1290 days between the time “the daily sacrifice is interruped and the abomination of desolation is set up. We know from Ch. 9:27 that it is set up in the midst of the week of 7 years. So reckoning backward from that time, brings us to 30 days before the beginning of the 7 years of 1260 days. When we get our starting point, then the remainder of these dates are simplified. So the basic offering, the daily burnt offering is taken away just 30 days before the covenant with the false prince is ratified. For the Jews to give up this principal offering is equivalent to letting go of their faith in the Messiah, not believing in the God of their fathers, a sign of their apostate condition.

Vs. 12-13 – The second measuring line (1335 day), gives the very day of Christ’s appearing to the Jews. Beginning at the very some time as the tribulation and counting brings us to 75 days after its close. No doubt those day will be spent in mourning for the one they have pierced (Zech. 12:10-14). The Jews who endure to the end of the tribulation will be blessed indeed.

 Waiting Till I Come

‘Midst the darkness, storm and sorrow,

one bright gleam I see,

Well I know the blessed morrow,

Christ will come for me;

‘Midst the light and peace and glory

of the Father’s home,

Christ for me is waiting, 

watching, waiting till I come.

Long the blessed Guide has led me

by the desert road,

Now I see the golden towers –

City of my God;

There a-midst the love and glory

He is waiting yet,

On His hands a name is graven

He can ne’er forget.

There a-mist the songs of heaven,

sweeter to His ear

Is the foot-fall through the desert

ever drawing near;

There made ready, are the mansions

glorious, bright and fair,

But the Bride, the Father gave Him,

still is wanting there.

Christ for me is waiting,

watching, waiting till I come

I behold Him watching, waiting,

wooing me to come home.

     – Anon

 JONAH

Debra Isenbletter, Pastor

Springfield, Missouri

Jonah 2:7: “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.” This verse is such a wonderful testimony of faith and the power of the Word of God to activate that faith. Jonah fainted, then he remembered the Lord; he remembered the Word, and as he prayed he drew from the Word of God and his faith revived.

Jonah Fainted: This is his desperation, it is the desperation of the “soul,” of the mind, of the heart. When Jonah “fainted” it speaks of an emotional reaction, not just a physical reaction.  I do not think he collapsed in the belly of the fish, he was probably already prostrate, in a position of physical collapse. Jonah was emotionally “overwhelmed,” he had come to the end of himself, the end of his strength, the end of his struggle. The word “fainted” comes from “to shroud” (from the idea of darkness). He needed to see the light of the Word in the midst of the darkness of despair. When he remembers the Word there is light and there is hope! Jonah’s faith will overcome his fears and his feelings. He must stop looking at himself and start looking at his God. The Psalms remind him of those who have fainted and been restored by faith. He is not alone and the testimony of others show him the way. “My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart” (Psa.73:26). “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path” (Psa.142:3).

Jonah Remembered: This is his recollection.  Remembering is the first step to victory over despair. It means “to be mindful of; to recall.” It also means “to cause to remember” and trials will do this and the Holy Spirit will do this. It means “to keep in remembrance” and that is the key to victory and overcoming. To know the Word, to remind ourselves of the Word. Reading the scriptures is one way to remind ourselves of the Word, so that we remember it. Mediating on the Word is another way and studying the Word is another way. Each takes a different amount of time and different effort but the end result for each is a storehouse to draw from in time of need. We can do this anytime. The Word is available for us, waiting for us to partake of it and store it up for future use. Jonah remembers that his God made promises to him, and that his God had a relationship with him. He was his prophet and his servant. Jonah remembers what other godly men have said at a crucial time in their lives. He remembered that the Lord was “a very present help in trouble” (Psa.46:1). He remembered that there were others who when their “soul was cast down” also remembered God and were comforted and found hope. (Psa.42:6).  I am always struck by what Jeremiah says in Lamentations. He remembered both the positive and the negative experiences and was able to find a balance and he learned and grew from that remembering. He remembered his affliction and misery (Lam.3:19). He remembered and was humbled (3:20). He remembered and had hope (3:21). He had hope because he remembered His mercy (3:22). In the end he remembered how great was the Lord’s faithfulness (3:23). He remembered and overcame and was not overcome. That is what each of us must do by faith. We see the trial but we see the Lord. We see both and find that the Lord makes the trial bearable until He brings us through. Jonah is waiting for deliverance and so are we.  Paul, showed us by his example, and teaching that we can be more than conquerors, that nothing will separate us from the One who loves us. (Rom.8:37-39). We can choose what to remember and we can look to the Lord and wait for deliverance. Jonah did this. Jesus did this. We do this. 

Jonah Prayed: This is his conviction. Jonah laid hold of his privilege as a servant of the Lord. His prayer was “supplication, it was a “petition” and it was a “praise.”  There is a wonderful balance in our prayer life if we have both praise and petition, instead of just petition, instead of just listing our need. Praise lifts our eyes up above the need so that we can see the One who will meet it. Jonah prayed and he knew that it “came in unto” the Lord. He knew the Lord heard his prayer. The words “came in unto” show the stages of prayer. It means “to depart,” the prayer was sent forth by faith. It means “to enter in, the prayer came into God’s Presence. It means “to abide,” the prayer was heard, received, accepted and was not turned away. Jonah’s prayer was a prayer of need but it was also a prayer of faith. He knew how to pray. He knew Who to pray to. He knew his prayer would be heard. He knew this because he remembered the prayers of others and he remembered their faith. He knew this because the Word told him this. He remembered those in distress who said, “In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God and he heard my voice” (Psa.18:6) This is the testimony of faith, an example showing us that we must be willing to pray, no matter how dire or difficult the circumstance. Prayer relieves the weight of the burden because the moment we pray we begin to let go of the burden and let the Lord take it up for us. This is not claiming, it is not demanding, it is turning the burden over to the Lord and trusting in Him to carry it for us and deliver us when He chooses and how He chooses.

Jonah Believed: This is his devotion. In 2:4 Jonah said, “I will look toward the temple.” He looked, he prayed and now he says “my prayer came … into thy temple.” Jonah’s look and prayer was directed to where the Presence of the Lord was and His presence can be found in the earth and also in heaven. He can always be found.  In the earthly temple the Presence of the Lord was seen and felt when it filled the house of the Lord. (1Ki.8:10-13). But the Presence of the Lord was just as real, just as powerful when it was seen with the eyes of faith. Isaiah saw by faith the Lord sitting in His temple (Isa.6:1) and he was overwhelmed and overcome. Jonah looked to the earthly and heavenly temple in faith. He could see neither with his natural eyes but he saw both with spiritual eyes. His prayer came into God’s Presence and he knew it.  

Paul reminds us that our prayers are heard, that nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ or the Love of God and he lists all the things that we think might separate us and he says that they cannot (Rom.8:35-39). We can pray with absolute assurance no matter where we find ourselves.

 We look and pray to a heavenly place. This is where our blessings are (Eph.1:3). This is where we are seated by faith (Eph.1:6) and where our Savior dwells (Eph.1:20). Jonah is standing on resurrection ground by faith when he prays and so are we. Praise the Lord!

 The Lord – My Helper

Ability to Help

Power belongs to the Lord – Psa. 62:11

Source of Help

Who made heaven and earth – Psa. 121:1-2

You formed my inward parts. Psa. 139:13-15

Willingness to Help

Lord’s answer to Asa’s prayer – II Chron. 14:9-13

Lord looks for those to support – II Chron. 16:9

Rides the heavens to your help – Deut. 33:26

Willing to heal a leper – Mt. 8:2-3

Holy Spirit as helper – Rom. 8:26-27

Affirmation of Help

My God is help – Ex. 18:4

Stone of help – I Sam. 7:7-12

Been my help; He is our help – Psa. 27:9; 33:20

A present help – Psa. 46:1

God is my helper – Psa. 40:17; 54:4; 70:5

Fine grace to help in time of need – Heb. 4:16

Gratitude

With song I thank Him – Psa. 28:7

I sing for joy – Psa. 63:7

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Israel  – Psa. 146:5

   Linda Skadeland

 Psalm 23 

Part 6 - continued

By Vicky Moots

Psalm 23:5c: “…my cup runneth over.” A cup will run over if it is overfilled or if someone intentionally just keeps pouring into it even after it is full. A full cup will also run over if someone bumps into it. An overflowing cup would indicate an abundant, more-than-sufficient, endless supply. This cup is probably referring to a cup of wine and would therefore represent a cup of joy and blessing. 

David said in Ps. 16:11, “…in thy presence is fullness of joy…”. Our cup of joy is full in spite of the circumstances, even in the valley of the shadow of death, even in the presence of our enemies, just because we are in His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy. If you do not feel His joy, then you need to spend time in prayer and in His Word and enter into His presence.

Jesus spoke words of comfort and joy to His disciples on His way to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 15:11: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” He wanted to fill their cup and our cup with His joy. The Amplified Version of the New Testament says it this way: “That your joy and gladness may be full measure and complete and overflowing.” That is definitely a cup that runneth over! 

That joy is a special joy because it is His joy. His joy becomes our joy. Peter calls it “…joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Pet. 1:8). The joy that He pours into us is so incredible that there are not even words in human speech to describe it or to explain it. It is truly “unspeakable.”

The amazing thing is that even though Jesus and His disciples were soon to face a time of extreme sorrow, yet He was speaking to them at that time about joy, a divine joy that would overflow more than their tears could flow. The joy that He was giving them through His Word was a joy that could not be destroyed or held prisoner in a tomb any more than He could.

Jesus said to them, “These things have I spoken unto you.” That means His Word. His Word is still speaking to us today and filling us with His joy to help us in times of sorrow, if we are willing to listen. We need to read His Word and let it speak to us and fill us with His joy. How powerful is His joy? As powerful as His Word! By His Word He created the heaven and the earth.

There is another scripture that speaks of the power of His joy, the joy that the Lord possessed and with which He fills our cup. Paul stated in Heb. 12:2, “…who [Jesus] for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…”. This meant that Jesus was able to endure the suffering of the cross because He looked beyond it to the joy, the reward, that He would receive. Not only would His suffering and death provide salvation for us, but in return, He would experience the joy of having a bride to reign with Him for eternity.

This is somewhat similar to the way in which a woman endures the discomfort of pregnancy and the pangs of childbirth as she looks forward to the joy of being able to hold her newborn baby. The joy that the Lord gives us enables us to endure hardships and difficult circumstances that we would not otherwise be able to face.

A cup that is full will spill out even more if it is bumped. The cup of joy that we have received will spill out in times of trouble for others to see, so that even through our trials, as we are knocked around, we can become testimonies of the goodness of the Lord, as the joy spills out instead of anger. 

The overflowing cup of wine described by David in Ps. 23:5 is also a picture of the Holy Spirit with which we are to be filled. Paul tells us in Eph. 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. The joy of the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, is also intoxicating and will even control our actions and our speech as we are under its influence. 

The word “filled” in this verse, in the Greek, is a continuous action verb in present tense, so it means to be continuously filling to overflowing. Thus, our cup keeps on overflowing as the Lord continuously pours the Spirit into us, so that the Holy Spirit not only fills our cup but begins to flow out of us like rivers of Living Water. Jesus promised this in John 7:38-39: “…out of his belly [innermost being] shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive…)”. We are to be so full of the Spirit that others cannot help but be blessed as they are splashed by the overflow of our cup.

If you are feeling down and depressed, then perhaps you need to ask the Lord to help you empty your cup of yourself and the worries and cares of this life with which it has become filled, so that He can pour His joy into you. Even David who wrote this Psalm, went through a time of discouragement and felt no joy. But he knew the source of joy, so he cried out to the Lord in Ps. 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation…”. When David turned his problems over to the Lord, he was able to empty his cup and let the Shepherd fill it to overflowing so that he could shout, with joy, “My cup runneth over!” So, let us do the same and join him in his rejoicing.

To be continued

 23rd Psalm for Times of Crisis

By Vicky Moots

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want of anything.

He maketh me to lie down in safety

and to rest in green pastures of hope and resurrection:

He leadeth me beside the still waters of peace, calming my fears.

He restoreth my soul and my body through the healing of his Word.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

through faith so that I may bring glory to his name.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadows of isolation,

illness, death or sorrow I will fear no evil plague

or plan of the enemy,

for I am not alone; thou art with me all the way.

Thy rod and thy staff (thy Word) I shall lean upon,

and they shall comfort me and hold me up

when I am too weak to stand.

Thou preparest a table before me,

providing nourishment for my body and soul

to meet my every need in spite of the presence

of my unseen enemy who has tried to rob me of my supply.

Lord I feast on thee.

Thou anointest my head and mind with the oil of thy Holy Spirit,

so much that my cup of blessing and joy

runneth over and is never empty.

Surely thy goodness and mercy which are everlasting,

shall follow me and protect me from behind

all the days of my life and I shall dwell in thy presence,

never to be separated, in the house of the Lord forever.